How To Customize WordPress Themes Like A Pro: Design Tips For Non-Designers

WordPress came a long way from being just a blogging platform. Today it’s one of the most popular content management systems. While you can still use it to create a simple blog, you can now also use it to set up stunning websites without having to worry about actual coding. There are countless free and premium themes and plugins for you to choose from, and the beauty of it all is the ability to fully customize WordPress themes in order to create a website that reflects your own style. However, this flexibility and wide array of customization options can be both a blessing and a curse for non-designers.

Millions of people are using WordPress, and every day new people are joining the community. With that comes a challenge of being different and standing out. With so many customization options, color, font, and layout options, it’s easier than ever to get caught up in playing around with the settings and tweaking the design for hours. In order to end up with a professional looking website, however, you should make sure you’re aware of the best practices of web design, and follow them all the time.

Readability Is Crucial

When it comes to the design of your website, the font choice can mean the difference between success and failure. Not only can font match your personality and the nature of your business, it can also affect usability of your website. Just like you would never use Comic Sans if you’re setting up a website for a law firm, you shouldn’t use overly complex or detailed font your readers will have to struggle to decipher. Avoid using italics as well, as it can render your copy illegible.

Another crucial thing to keep in mind when it comes to the fonts is the actual number of fonts used. Make sure you use only two or three fonts throughout your website for the sake of consistency. Using more than three fonts will make your website look cluttered and unprofessional, which could make your visitor abandon it completely.

Customize WordPress Themes Using The Right Colors

People customize WordPress themes to stand out and leave a memorable impression on their visitors. However, you want to stand out for all the right reasons. Color is an incredibly powerful tool. It can guide your visitor’s attention and emphasize important elements. Playing with color can be a tricky task, though. In addition to choosing colors that match your brand, you will want to find colors that work well together and improve readability. Using dark colors for your text on a light background is your safest bet. You will do well with only three colors – a light color for your background, a dark one for the copy, and one for emphasizing the important elements, like your calls to action.

Pay Attention To Your Layout

People are scanners, which means you have to customize WordPress themes in such a way that your visitors can easily find the information they’re looking for. Make sure there’s lots of white space between the paragraphs, images and other content elements. Keep the sentences and paragraphs short, and use larger font for your headings. It all comes down to usability: if your visitors are faced with endless wall of illegible text, chances are they’ll leave your website instead of sticking around and struggling to find the information they’re looking for.

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About AVAThemes

We are a group of designers and developers working round the clock to make a difference with WordPress. Providing high quality, completely customizable Premium WordPress themes is what we are all about. Our mission is to take WordPress to the next level with unparalleled e-commerce, directory and app themes.
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